1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to unpleasant taste masking compositions prepared by combination of a non-bitter intense sweetening agent and a flavoring agent having a bitter taste or unpleasant off-note. More particularly, this invention relates to an unpleasant taste masking effect found between the combination of a non-bitter intense sweetening agent such as derivatives of chlorodeoxysugars or dipeptide based sweeteners and a flavoring agent having a bitter taste or unpleasant off-note. The unpleasant taste masking composition may be utilized in a wide variety of ingestible compositions. This invention also relates to methods by which these unpleasant taste masking compositions may be prepared.
2. Description of the Prior Art
"Flavor" is defined as "the simultaneous physiological and psychological response obtained from a substance in the mouth that includes the senses of taste (salty, sour, bitter, sweet), smell (fruity, pungent), and feel . . . [which may be defined as] the effect of chemical action on the mouth membranes such as heat from pepper, coolness from peppermint and the like." Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, p. 527, 11th Edition (1987). Hence, the perception of flavor involves the interrelationship of many elements. This interrelationship of elements may vary from individual to individual and hence may result in individual perceptions of flavor. The term "flavor", or flavoring agents, is also used to categorize substances which contribute to the taste of an ingestible product. The term "sweetening agent" is used to identify a natural or synthetic food additive which provides sweetness to a food or beverage and which is perceived by the sense of taste. Although the individual perception of flavoring agents and sweetening agents depends on the interrelation of many elements, flavor and sweetness may also be perceived separately, i.e., flavor and sweetness perception may be both dependent upon each other and independent of each other. For example, when a large amount of a flavoring agent is used, a small amount of a sweetening agent may be readily perceptible and vice versa. Thus, the oral interaction between a flavoring agent and a sweetening agent also involves the interrelationship of many elements which may vary from individual to individual and may be a unique sensory sensation.
Intense sweetening agents are natural or synthetic compounds which have a sweetening intensity greater than that of sugar (sucrose) and which oftentimes have a lower caloric value than that of sugar. Because the intense sweeteners provide greater sweetening capacity than sugar, smaller amounts of the sweeteners will provide sweetening intensity equivalent to larger amounts of sugar. Intense sweeteners are well known in the art and are widely used in place of sugar in many low calorie and/or noncariogenic compositions. Intense sweeteners which are not non-caloric, that is, have a caloric value, can provide compositions which have decreased caloric value, as compared to sugarsweetened compositions, because far lower amounts of the intense sweetener are required to achieve optimum sweetness in the composition.
Intense sweeteners have a wide range of chemically distinct structures and, hence, possess varying properties. These intense sweetener compounds include proteins such as thaumatin (Talin, a commercially available product of Tate & Lyle Products, Reading, United Kingdom), dipeptides such as N-L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester (Aspartame, a commercially available product of the Nutrasweet Company, Deerfield, Ill.) and dihydrochalcones. Each of these compounds has a distinct sweetening intensity as compared to sucrose and this sweetening intensity is well documented. For example, the following compounds have these different sweetening intensities:
______________________________________ Intensity Compound (compared to sucrose) ______________________________________ Soluble saccharin salts 300.times. Cyclamate salts 30.times. N-L-alpha-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine 180.times. 1-methyl ester (Aspartame) Potassium salt of 6-methyl- 200.times. 1,2,3-oxathiazin-4(3H)-one- 2,2-dioxide (Acesulfame-K, a commercially available product of Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Somerville, New Jersey) 4,1',6'-Trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxy- 600.times. galactosucrose (Sucralose, a commercially available product of McNeil Specialty Products Company, Skillman New Jersey) L-alpha-Aspartyl-N-(2,2,4,4- 2000.times. tetramethyl-3-thietanyl)-D- alaninamide hydrate (Alitame, a commercially available product of Pfizer, New York, New York) ______________________________________
Because each intense sweetener is chemically distinct, each sweetener presents a different challenge with respect to the actual use of such sweetener in ingestible compositions. For example, some intense sweeteners present stability problems, such as Aspartame, which exhibits instability in the presence of aldehydes, ketones, moisture and the like. Other intense sweeteners have an associated bitter taste or off-note, such as Saccharin (a commercially available product of PMC Specialty Group Inc., Cinncinnati, Ohio), stevioside, Acesulfame-K , glycyrrhizin, dipotassium glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt, and thaumatin (Talin).
Certain intense sweeteners have been used to offset the associated bitter aftertaste or unpleasant offnote of other intense sweeteners. For example, United Kingdom patent application no. 2154850A, assigned to Tate & Lyle plc, discloses the use of a combination of at least two intense sweeteners to modify the associated unpleasant taste of one of the sweeteners (cyclamate). The combination of the two sweeteners is said to provide a preferred sweetness. Specifically, a composition is disclosed for sweetening a beverage such as a cola, tea or coffee which comprises combining a chlorosucrose sweetener with a cyclamate, which is either alone or is in combination with other sweeteners.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,170, issued to Beytes et al. and assigned to Tate and Lyle plc, discloses synergistic sweetening compositions which comprise a mixture of a chlorodeoxysugar and another sweetening agent which has an associated bitter taste. The chlorodeoxysugars are selected from the group consisting of chlorodeoxysucroses and chlorodeoxygalactosucroses. The bitter tasting sweetening agent is selected from the group consisting of Saccharin, stevioside and Acesulfame-K.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,396, issued to Stephens, Jr. et al. and assigned to Pfizer Inc., teaches a method of masking the bitter taste and enhancing the sweet taste of Acesulfame-K by combining the bitter-tasting intense sweetener with the sweetener Alitame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,068, issued to Von Rymon Lipinski et al. and assigned to Hoechst (West Germany), discloses a sweetener mixture to improve the saccharose-like quality of acetosulfame-K. Specifically, acetosulfame-K is combined with at least one intense sweetener selected from the group consisting of aspartyl peptide ester sweeteners, sulfamate sweeteners, sulfimide sweeteners and dihydrochalcone sweeteners.
Thus, a variety of combinations of intense sweeteners are known which provide compositions which have a reduced associated bitter taste or other unpleasant offnote. However, intense sweeteners which have an associated bitter taste or unpleasant off-note are known to increase the unpleasant taste of compositions containing certain flavors. Accordingly, there is a need for bitterness or off-note masking compositions which mask ingestible compositions which contain flavoring agents having a bitter taste or unpleasant off-note. Such unpleasant taste masking compositions would provide an improved taste for a prolonged period of time for ingestible compositions which contain flavors having a bitter taste or unpleasant off-note, would allow for a reduced total amount of sweetening composition, would thereby reduce costs, stability problems, cariogenic properties, and the like. The present invention provides such unpleasant taste masking compositions and various ingestible compositions which incorporate such unpleasant taste masking compositions.